On November 13, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the third consecutive season of dredging on the Hudson River was completed.  A total of 1.3 million cubic yards of sediment containing PCBs has been removed from the Hudson River so far.

The dredging began on May 9, 2012 after General Electric (with oversight form the EPA) removed 650,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment south of Fort Edward, New York.  The EPA is now half way to its goal of removing 2.65 million cubic yards of polluted sediment from 40 miles of the upper Hudson River.  

The EPA reports that approximately 1.3 million pounds of PCBs went into the Hudson River after they leaked from two General Electric manufacturing plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls.  

The EPA set strict standards during General Electric’s dredging.  The company could not allow more than 2 percent of the dredged PCB-contaminated sediment to stir and become suspended in the water.  The first series of measurements were conducted in Waterford.  Additionally, the EPA did not allow the company to suspend more than 1 percent of the contaminated sediment by the time the water reached Waterford.  Waterford is the farthest monitoring station downstream on the Hudson River.  

The company fulfilled a goal of letting no more than 11 percent of the project undergo capping as well.  General Electric’s seasonal cleanup only accounted for 5 percent capping in the contaminated area besides capping that could not be prevented.  

The dredged sediment is stored at the Fort Edward processing facility and shipped to authorized disposal facilities in other states.  The material will continue to be transported out-of-state by train until all of the sediment is removed from the Fort Edward processing plant.  

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

On November 29, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced that Rebecca Jeanette Rubin from Canada surrendered at the border in Blaine, Washington.  She faces conspiracy, federal arson, and destructive device charges throughout California, Colorado, and Oregon.  Her crimes are part of the largest eco-terrorism case in U.S. history, and she remained an international fugitive for more than 10 years.  

Rubin is charged with being part of a group that caused 20 arsons in five western states from 1996 to 2001.  The group was made of self-proclaimed members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).  The group attempted to cause environmental damage and fight against government, businesses, and the general public by engaging in violence, mass destruction, intimidation, and other forms of violent retaliation.  

Rubin faces state charges in Oregon for the November 30, 1997 and December 22, 1998 arsons at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Facility near the town of Burns in Harney County and the U.S. Forest Industries Inc offices in Medford.  She also faces a state charge in California for arson and using a destructive device at the BLM Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro Corrals on October 15, 2001 around Susanville, California.  

The eight federal charges are for an arson that destroyed the Two Elk Lodge and surrounding buildings in Eagle County, Colorado on November 30, 1997.  

A count of arson carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of five years.  Using a destructive device carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison, and conspiracy carries five years in prison.  

Since August 2007, 10 defendants in the same case have received sentences from 37 months to 156 months in prison.

Two of the defendants are still fugitives: Joseph Mahmoud Dibee and Josephine Sunshine Overaker.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On November 19, 2012, the Boise Police announced the arrest of Michael J. Watkins.  He is currently in custody of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Weiser, Idaho, and the monkey’s death is tied to a break-in and burglary at the Boise Zoo on the morning of November 17, 2012. 

Police were called to the Boise Zoo at 4:30 a.m. on November 17 because a guard spotted one man inside the zoo and another outside of the perimeter fence.  The two men fled as after they saw the security guard, and a search of the zoo proved the men fled. 

When officers and employees searched the zoo, they found a Patas monkey near the perimeter fence inside the zoo.  The monkey was severely injured with blunt force trauma to the head and neck, and it died within a short time after discovery. 

During the investigation, Boise Police found blood evidence and a baseball cap belonging to one of the suspects.  One of the suspects, Watkins, was arrested after the police used different pieces of evidence and tips from helpful citizens. 

The Charges against Watkins

Watkins is charged with two felonies: burglary and grand theft.

Burglary is defined under 18-1401 of the Idaho Statutes:

“Burglary defined. Every person who enters any house, room, apartment, tenement, shop, warehouse, store, mill, barn, stable, outhouse, or other building, tent, vessel, vehicle, trailer, airplane or railroad car, with intent to commit any theft or any felony, is guilty of burglary.” 

Grand theft is defined under 18-2407 of the Idaho Statutes, and the following subsection applies to Watkins:

18-2407(b)

“A person is guilty of grand theft when he commits a theft as defined in this chapter and when…

18-2407(b)(7)

The property taken or deliberately killed is livestock or any other animal exceeding one hundred fifty dollars ($150) in value.”

Why Patas Monkeys are Protected at Zoos

Patas monkeys are not endangered or threatened, but they are protected for several reasons.  For one, they are hunted in areas of Africa for their meat or because they’re damaging crops.  Additionally, the growth of cattle grazing in Africa and the increasing amount of farmland in the African savanna areas has seriously decreased the habitat for the Patas monkeys. 

Chief Michael Masterson with the Boise Police Department stated: “I speak for many of us in the police department and the community who were angered and outraged over this senseless crime. The loss of this Patas monkey has touched many lives, including our officers and investigators.”

Source: Boise Police Department

A new report, called Trade in South-East Asian Python Skins, was published by the International Trade Centre (ITC) with cooperation from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and TRAFFIC—a program maintained by the IUCN and World Wide Fund (WWF).  The new report was published on November 27, 2012 and reveals about $1 billion worth of python skins are traded every year. 

Alexander Kasterine, the Head of the ITC Trade and Environment Programme, states: “The report shows that problems of illegality persist in the trade in python skins and that this can threaten species’ survival.  The fashion and leather industry has a stronger role to play in supporting the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the developing countries to ensure supply is legal and sustainable.”

Since law enforcement is not targeting the problem efficiently, the report stresses that the fashion industry needs to develop a tracing system to see where the products are coming from.  Additionally, the tracing system needs to demonstrate that the product is legal and comes from an environment where harvesting of skins is sustainable.  A similar permitting system exists, called CITIES, and the new supply chain tracing system would add to the efforts of CITIES. 

The report announces there is a lack of transparency in the market.  Indonesia, Malaysia, and Viet Nam are the biggest exporters, and about 70 percent of all python skins are re-exported through Singapore.  The report suspects that large undisclosed stockpiles of skins could remain in Singapore because of a lack of screening. 

The biggest importers of pythons skins are European Union countries—especially Italy, Germany, and France. 

Tomas Waller, the Chair of IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Boa and Python Specialist Group, states: “It would appear a substantial proportion of the skins in trade are sourced illegally from wild animals, beyond agreed quotas, and using false permits to launder the skins.” 

More than 20 percent of python skins from South-East Asia are marketed as captive-bred, but the report questions the amount of snakes bred in captivity.  Furthermore, the report indicates that a large amount of slaughtered wild snakes are killed before they are old enough to breed.  The report suggests that minimum skin size limits need enforced along with harvest numbers outside of captivity to maintain sustainability. 

Current trade bans and not stopping the illegal harvesting of python skins, so the fashion industry and local authorities need to strengthen regulations before pythons become even more threatened. 

The report referenced to in this article was funded by the Government of Denmark. 

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature

On November 20, 2012, the US Fish & Wildlife Service published its annual appraisal of plants and animals for consideration under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Since the last review in October of 2011, three species were removed from the status of candidate, two were added, and 9 have changed as far as priority. 

A total of 192 species are now recognized as a candidate under the ESA.  This is the lowest number in over 12 years.  Since the Listing Programs implementation, the 25 candidates have been granted protection under the ESA and proposed protections has occurred for 91 species. 

Candidates on the list show signs of being threatened or endangered, but species higher up on the list receive more attention that those lower on the list.  Candidates are not protected under the ESA, but their candidacy status helps them receive conservation attention. 

Once a species becomes a candidate, the results are provided to landowners and resources managers for the state and local municipalities.  The Fish and Wildlife Service is currently involved in conservation agreements covering 5 million acres that help protect 130 species. 

The two new candidate species are the Peñasco least chipmunk located in the White Mountains of New Mexico and parts of California and the Cumberland arrow darter in Kentucky and Tennessee.  The three species that were removed from the candidacy list are the elongate mud meadow springsnail, the Christ’s paintbrush, and the bog asphodel.  The bog asphodel no longer needs protection, and springsnail and paintbrush populations have improved according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Dan Ashe, the Fish and Wildlife Service Director, explained the Service’s ultimate goals: “We’re continuing to keep the commitments we made under this agreement, which has enabled us to be more efficient and effective in both protecting species under the ESA, as well as in working with our partners to recover species and get them off the list as soon as possible.  Our ultimate goal is to have the smallest Candidate List possible, by addressing the needs of species before they require ESA protection and extending the ESA’s protections to species that truly need it.” 

The Fish and Wildlife Service can help protect candidate species in several ways.  For one, grant programs provide conservation funds to private landowners as well as states and territories.  Secondly, Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs) make sure public and private parties perform their share of conservation efforts—like removing threats to the species or stabilizing the specie’s environment.  Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs) are agreements between the Service and non-Federal landowners.

A complete list of the candidate list can be found on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s website. 

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

On October 11, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced and recognized the initiatives of seven drinking water and waste water utilities throughout the state.  Some of the facilities have already begun improvements, and four of the utilities have already saved about 3,300,000 kilowatt hours and reduced 3200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The utilities and their estimated energy and cost savings per year are listed below:

-Caryville-Jacksboro Utilities Commission 188,000 kWh / $15,750
-City of Columbia 1,300,000 kWh / $100,000
-Fayetteville Public Utilities 517,000 kWh / $34,000
-City of Franklin 1,699,440 kWh / $194,000
-First Utility District of Knox County 710,000 kWh / $68,000
-Lenoir City Utilities Board 523,000 kWh / $42,000
-Nashville Metro Water Services 2,400,000 kWh / $210,000

The active improvements and the planned improvements will save more than 7 million kilowatt hours a year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 6,696 tons—a figure equivalent to bringing 1,190 cars off the road or providing power to about 739 homes.  Each facility is projected to save between $15,750 and $210,000 per year with an approximate combination of $633,750 in savings.  

The facilities now making improvements participated in assessments and workshops in order to determine how to reduce the overall amount of energy use.  Some of the facilities took simple initiatives like installing solar panels, while others made more sophisticated improvements like reducing the amount of UV disinfection and more.  

TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau stated, “Today’s gathering is a great example of how government partnerships can work together and we’ve been pleased to help provide these communities with energy efficiency tools, expertise and support for Tennessee’s water and wastewater utilities—assisting them in reducing costs and environmental pollution, while saving money and benefiting their ratepayers.”

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 

On October 16, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a finalized cleanup plan for polluted groundwater at the Shenandoah Road Ground Water Contamination Superfund site located in East Fishkill, New York.  

Industrial activities in the past have contaminated ground water on the site with tetrachloroethene (PCE), a volatile organic compound.  

The site was rented by Jack Manne, Inc. from 1965 to 1975.  The company cleaned and repaired computer chip racks that were supplied by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).  PCE and other solvents were used in the process and placed in a septic tank and another pit on the property.  

During a random sampling of residential wells in 2000, the New York State Department of Health found that PCE levels were above the maximum federal and state levels.  The EPA immediately started providing bottled water to residents with contaminated wells, and the source of contamination was discovered shortly after.  

IBM was ordered to remove sources that contributed to the water contamination.  During the same year, IBM began a study for alternative water supplies to the affected residents.  The EPA eventually approved a plan to connect the residences to the Fishkill municipal water supply.  The connection was completed in March of 2009.  

The finalized cleanup plan will continue a process that extracts contaminated ground water and treats the water before it is released back into the ground.  The finalized plan will also rely on natural processes to decontaminate the water.  

The EPA will continue to sample the groundwater and measure the effectiveness of the finalized cleanup plan.  The EPA states that the use of certain land and ground water is still restricted.  

IBM will continue with the cleanup.  The project is estimated to cost about $2.7 million, and IBM has taken responsibility for the costs.  

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 

On October 18, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency provided steps Americans can take to save money, reduce energy costs, and protect their health at the same time.  Some of the steps seem simple, but all of the steps can have dramatic effects.  

1. Maintain your Heating Equipment
Make sure to maintain your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.  Schedule a cleaning by a licensed contractor, and make sure to regularly change your air filter to reduce allergens and dust.  

2. Use Energy Star Light Strings if Decorating
Christmas lights with an Energy Star rating use 65 percent less energy that regular lights and last 10 times longer.  

3. Program your Thermostat to Lower the Temperature
Lower the temperature in your home by 8 degrees while you sleep and while you’re at work.  The EPA states you can reduce your energy costs by 12 percent by simply programming your thermostat.  

4. Install new WaterSense Products
The average household spends about $500 every year on water and sewer utilities.  Installing water efficient fixtures around the home can save $170 a year on average.  

5. Replace that Old Wood Stove
New, more efficient wood stoves use a third less wood than older wood stoves and they let off about 70 percent less particle pollution within the home.  

6. Look for Cleaning Products with a DfE Logo
Cleaning products with a DfE logo are the safest cleaning products for people and the environment.  The EPA states that Americans reduced harmful chemicals by 756 million pounds in 2011 just by using DfE products.  

7. Test for Radon Gas
About 1 in 15 homes has high levels of radon which can cause lung cancer.  The levels of radon increase in the winter, so buy a test kit and test your home.  

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

On November 8, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced that Peter Townsley was sentenced to 364 days in prison after he defrauded customers part of the organic farming industry.  He is also ordered to pay a fine of $125,000, serve six months of community confinement, and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service in the organic production trade.  

Townsley was the president for California Liquid Fertilizer (CLF) in Salinas Valley.  He pleaded guilty to selling Biolizer XN fertilizer labeled for organic farming from April 2000 to December 2006 when the fertilizer actually contained chemicals prohibited in organic farming.  

The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 created national standards for the production and labeling of agricultural products.  Farmers can abide by the Act by checking ingredients on the label for fertilizer, and they also check to see if the product is Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) approved.  

Townsley was able to apply for OMRI approval for the fertilizer in the year of 1998 after he said the fertilizer was made with fish, fish by-products, water, and feathermeal.  He was soon approved, but he admitted that he changed the ingredients starting in April of 2000.  He added ammonium chloride and eventually ammonium sulfate to the fertilizer, and he failed to notify OMRI.  

Townsley was convicted under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341 on seven counts of mail fraud.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag stated, “His actions are particularly troubling given the fact that consumers rely on the representations of all participants in the process when they pay a premium price for certified organic products.  This prosecution demonstrates the commitment of federal and state authorities to hold those who choose to violate that trust accountable.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation